


the perfect tree

by treacherousdoctors



Category: Heartstopper (Webcomic)
Genre: Christmas Shopping, Christmas Tree, M/M, Near Future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:54:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28121955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treacherousdoctors/pseuds/treacherousdoctors
Summary: it's nick and charlie's first christmas living together away from home, and the first order of business is to get a tree.
Relationships: Nicholas "Nick" Nelson/Charles "Charlie" Spring
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	the perfect tree

**Author's Note:**

> hey i am back yet again with a christmassy one shot that nobody asked for ! this time the randomly generated prompt word was "fir" so,,,, future natalie go tree shopping. delightful.

Charlie rolls out of bed, groaning slightly. The clock on the side reads 7:03, though you wouldn’t know it was morning from the dark blue-grey of the sky outside the window. The bed is empty beside him.

He doesn’t spend long looking in the mirror on his way out of the door - just long enough to clock that his hair is a mess and Nick’s jumper is far,  _ far  _ too big for him.

He pads through to the kitchen where Nick is sitting with a pot of tea and a plate of toast. He smiles at the sight of Charlie.

“Morning.”   
“Mornin’.” Charlie mumbles back, sleepiness lacing his voice.   
“I was thinking,” Nick begins, pouring a cup of tea from the bot that Charlie gratefully takes in both hands. “We should decorate the flat today. Since it’s our first Christmas together.”

A tired smile sweeps across Charlie’s face and, though he can’t quite muster the energy to get excited, Nick seems to get it.

“What did you have in mind?”   
“Mum said I could swing by and pick up a box of old decorations from the attic, and Home Bargains have just got in all the tinsel and lights and stuff.” He pauses to take a sip of his drink, the tiniest smirk dancing across his features. “Plus, y’know. We could always drive out to the garden centre for a tree.”

This time, Charlie can’t help but grin.

At home, his parents only had an artificial tree, but the Nelsons always got a real one - a nice 7 foot fir, not too much taller than Nick but decorated with love and always smelling excellent. It’s one of the many reasons their home is Charlie’s favourite place on earth to be this time of year.

Except they’re adults now, 21 and 22, and for the first time ever they’ll be having a Christmas entirely their own. They’re in a flat, just a little place, but it belongs to them. It’s  _ home _ .

“Give me a minute to get dressed.”   
“I think you look good as you are.” Nick responds, leaning in for a kiss. Charlie smiles through it.   
“Get off, I look like I’ve just crawled out of a pit.”   
“Cute pit.”   
“That doesn’t even make sense.”   
“Drink your tea.” Nick quips, pecking him once more on the lips before trotting back to the bedroom.

Within the hour they’re on the road, the murky grey sky now much lighter. Music plays softly, but they talk over it - what they’re getting their mums for Christmas, whether Whammageddon is the best part of the year or needless psychologica torture. It feels like barely any time at all before they’re at the garden centre, overwhelmed with the scent of pine.

Charlie ends up running about the place like an excited kid, while Nick strolls more slowly behind him, glad to see Charlie so giddy over something. It’s unusual for him to be so bubbly at stupid o’clock on a Wednesday morning, especially when it gets to December and the weather is always so cold and grey that it’s easy to get bogged down with seasonal sadness.

“Look at this one!”

Charlie is lifting up one of the Nordmann firs, showing it off to Nick.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit… I d’know,  _ wonky?” _ _   
_ “I think it’s beautiful.”   
“It’s totally lopsided!” Nick laughs, “It’ll start by the window and end by the door!”   
“It adds character!”   
“Shall we have a look at some other ones first?”   
“I think I’m attached, Nicholas.”

He agrees after a bit, taking Nick’s hand to wander the grounds, looking up and down a load of trees while debating the relative merits of each of them. They somehow manage to make it last thirty, forty minutes, until even the garden centre staff begin to look tired of them. It feels like they look at every single tree in the place, Nick invested in finding the perfect tree, while Charlie wants one perfect for  _ them _ . A bit wonky, a bit mismatched, but still beautiful. Still  _ right _ .

They leave there, finally, with the very first tree Charlie picked up. The most uneven tree Nick has ever seen in his life, so slanted when they set it up in the living room that they’re both genuinely a bit concerned it could topple as they’re watching TV one night.

It’s messy, sure, but it fits. With the tinsel strewn across it and the lights shining, a multicoloured glow bouncing off every bauble, they can’t help but smile. Their first Christmas together, and it already looks perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope this was ok !! maybe let me know what you thought (if you want to, no pressure)
> 
> as always, my tumblr is @charliespringverse if you'd like to chat/request/whatever :^))


End file.
